Harry Reid’s Not So Hot Remark
When it comes to sexism posing as a compliment, I try to cut Harry Reid’s generation some slack. But Senator Reid really ought to know better:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had an unusual form of praise for New York’s junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, this morning at the fundraiser Mayor Bloomberg hosted for him at his townhouse – referring to her as “the hottest member” as she sat just a few feet away, according to three sources.
The comment prompted Gillibrand to turn red, according to the sources, and created a bit of stir among the small crowd there.
That leads me to my latest limerick:
Harry Reid’s Not So Hot Remark
By Madeleine Begun Kane
Kirsten Gillibrand’s hot says Sen. Reid —
The Sen’s “hottest member,” indeed.
Now I know Harry’s old,
And I don’t mean to scold,
But that “compliment’s” sexist. Take heed.
Here’s more on subtle sexism, including my Gender At Work essay. (Gender at Work, under the name My Most Attractive Adversary, is the lead Gender Gap chapter essay in a pair of college textbooks by Gary Goshgarian: The Contemporary Reader and Readings For Today.)
Tags: Compliments, Feminist Limerick, Gary Goshgarian, Gender Humor, Harry Reid, Kirsten Gillibrand, Sexist Humor, Subtle Sexism
Harry Reid is such a fool
And does so much no one thinks cool
When he used to spar
His foes knocked him far
The best he could do then was drool.
And each time he has to stand tall
He finds a new way he can fall
His career is a-dangle
Thanks to Sharron Angle
And an increase in personal gall.
If i was Ms Gillibrand
I’d offer the back of my hand
“Your name now is mud
“Go play with your pud
“And meet the next Repub demand.”
You are overlooking the age factor. Sen. Reid predates the use of “hot” in its present application. My father refers to baseball players as “hot” when they are performing well, on a hitting streak and so on, or young recruits to the workforce who “know their stuff” and “hit the ground running”. He has never used the term to describe attractive females (he has other quaint terms for that). Remember the “Negro dialect” comment? I believe it’s a sign of someone who was young in the first half of the 20th century. Generation gap, rather than gender gap.
I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t get too riled about Harry Reid’s choice of terms. He’s very reserved and careful about what he says; he’s just old.
Thanks everyone for your comments and verse.